We spent a few days in San Antonio last week for the Rent Manager User Conference (RMUC), catching up with operators, meeting new faces, and hearing what property management teams are thinking about as they plan for the year ahead.

Rent Manager is one of our closest technology partners, and many of our customers already use the platform to run their properties. So this conference is always a valuable opportunity to connect with the community, hear what challenges operators are working through, and share some of what we've been building at Uniti.

And San Antonio was a great host. Between the busy conference floor, the conversations at our booth, and some memorable evening events, we had plenty to talk about on the way home.

Here are observations from the week that stuck with us (keep scrolling till the end for some of our favorite photos from San Antonio).

Operators are getting serious about AI

One of the clearest takeaways from the week was just how much the conversation around AI has matured.

A year or two ago, many operators were still trying to understand what AI could actually do for their businesses. This year, we heard much more specific questions about implementation, integrations, and where AI could make an immediate difference.

Several operators were already evaluating solutions or had experimented with AI in the past. Others were looking to modernize their existing technology and figure out where AI fits into that process.

The shift was noticeable. Less "What is this?" and more "How do we get started?" We also spoke with operators who had tried AI tools before but hadn't gotten the results they expected. A good reminder that implementation and reliability matter just as much as the demo.

Sales, leasing, and resident support were top of mind

Another theme was the range of problems operators are looking to solve.

For some, the priority was sales and leasing. How do you respond to prospects faster, especially when someone reaches out after hours? How do you make sure an inquiry doesn't sit unanswered until the next business day?

For others, the focus was resident support, maintenance requests, and taking repetitive tasks off already busy property teams.

These are practical challenges that operators deal with every day. And while the priorities varied from one conversation to the next, the common thread was finding ways to be more responsive without adding more work to the team's plate.

Making better use of the systems operators already have

We also heard a lot of interest in how AI connects with existing property management software.

Operators don't necessarily want another disconnected tool. They want technology that works with the systems and information their teams already rely on.

That was particularly relevant at RMUC, where many conversations naturally came back to Rent Manager.

Whether it's checking real-time availability, accessing account information, or keeping track of conversations with prospects and residents, the underlying data matters just as much as the AI itself.

For operators evaluating these tools, it's worth looking beyond what an AI agent can say and asking what it can actually do within your existing workflows.

And yes, there were alpacas

It wouldn't be a proper conference recap without a few highlights outside the expo hall.

The week kicked off with a festive Día de los Muertos celebration, followed by a memorable evening at the Aztec Theatre featuring a live band and, somehow, alpacas.

We also managed to squeeze in a team visit to the Alamo before heading home.

A big thank-you to the Rent Manager team for putting together a great event, and to everyone who stopped by our booth to chat, ask questions, or introduce themselves.

We came home with a lot of good conversations to follow up on and an even better sense of what operators are looking for next. See you at the next one!